Demons Amongst Us
by Persiana13
Summary: Diablos must stop Hecate's plan, but an even bigger surprise awaits him.  Takes place after Chapter 12 of SotM.  Origin of Hecate and Diablos. Takes place in the DC Persiana-verse.
1. Chapter 1

**Demons Amongst Us **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Hecate. _

Chapter 1: A Bid Farewell 

_I write this to the attention of the Justice League, Titans East, and, most importantly, to my beloved Farrah. _

_Several days ago, you had an encounter with a woman named Hecate. I heard she decimated a country with a nuclear bomb. I am sad to hear that, and angry. _

_For countless centuries, Hecate and I existed on this planet, and I have done everything in my power to thwart her evil schemes. Little did I realize she would ever cross this line. I guess I should not be totally surprised, but, I am shocked that I am even related to this woman. _

_I know how the League feels about killing, and, while I understand such a stance, I feel as though the only way to preserve the League's image and to gain what I want would be to resign. _

_Ever since I sealed Hecate, or thought to have sealed Hecate away, at the end of World War II, I have been thinking of a way to truly stop her. _

_As of this day, at noon, I hand in my resignation to the Justice League and Titans East. As my last official act as leader of the Titans, I hand over the reigns of leadership to Wonder Girl. I only ask that she take the advice of her friends and teammates, and to lead the team to the best of her abilities. _

_And, Farrah; I truly love you. In all the thousands of years I have lived, you have been a woman unlike any other. I realize that me saying it here may mean I have used this line before on other women, but, I truly mean it. I truly do love you with all my heart. I only hope that, when this is all over, that you and I can find true happiness. _

_I bid all of you…Godspeed. _

Letter of Resignation of Lance "Diablos" Marlo

Next Chapter:

Diablos races against time to stop his mad sister from unleashing another attack.


	2. Chapter 2

**Demons Amongst Us **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos Bast, and Hecate. _

Chapter 2: Against the Clock! 

**Somewhere in Northern Africa… **

Hecate, the red-eyed, pistol wielding villainess, was smiling at one of the soldiers who was strung upside-down by his heels. He was a bloody, royal mess, his face streaming in blood. The pistol user shook her head,

"You know, I try and try to explain it to you. I mean, I really do think you're only making this difficult for yourselves. You truly think anything you pathetic humans do will matter?"  
Hecate picked up the soldier's rifle with her telekinesis and shoved the barrel into his mouth,

"Now, before you die, I want you to beg."

The soldier shot her a death glare and Hecate shrugged, sighing,

"Oh, well."

The trigger was pulled and the body had fallen on its stomach, dead. Hecate smirked,

"There's a sucker born every minute."

She casually walked to the elevator onto the military base and, taking the key card, activated it.

Diabos was above, flying in the skies surrounding the military compound. He could sense the thought screams of everyone that was dying and, as he approached, saw smoke in numerous areas of the base. He flew down to take a closer look at the devastation.

However, as he landed, the devastation he saw reminded him of what happened in New Orleans…

**New Orleans, 2005… **

The floods caused by the storms and the damage amassed awed Lance in a way he had never seen before. As he surveyed the damage the day after the flood waters receded, he felt a sharp pain in his head. The thought broadcasts were tremendous; all the people crying out for help and no one to answer them.

Lance managed to get to one of the hospitals that was surrounded by water and, discreetly using his powers, parted the water. He then walked in and the stench of death was overwhelming. Bodies left abandoned by those that were supposed to help them. They could not have been more than a few days old.

Lance could sense some people still alive. He ran out of the hall and up two flights of stairs. Wherever he was feeling the presences, both were afraid, but for different reasons. He scoured the hall, feeling one of the presences fading fast. He burst into a room, but it was too late.

The doctor shook his head,

"It's too late. There was nothing that could be done for him."

Lance grabbed the doctor away from the dead man,

"He was a human being! What gave you the right to do this?"

The doctor shook his head. He looked like he was in a trance,

"This was the only way. The only merciful way."

Lance could not believe it. He punched the doctor in the stomach and left the doctor to die.

Two days later, Lance was in a bar, drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Although he could never truly get drunk, it could leave the demonic hero in a sort of haze.

A black-haired young woman walked in. She noticed Lance and sat next to him at the bar. She said,

"Diablos? Is something the matter?"

Lance took another shot and scoffed,

"Well, if it isn't Bast, the goddess of protection."

He looked around,

"Shouldn't you be killing hospital patients or something? Protect them from horrors of disease and turmoil?"

Bast placed her hand on his shoulder,

"Diablos, you're drunk. Let me take you home."

Lance laughed,

"Please. Like you actually care."

Bast was insistent,

"You are angry and upset about something. The owner's cat picked up on it. I came down because…"

Diablos looked at her, standing as straight as he could,

"Do you think killing someone is protecting them?"

Bast shook her head,

"No, I don't. Has something happened?"

Lance said,

"Superman. He's a real hero. He can protect people. Look at me; I'm powerful, yet I let someone die. Worse, I let the killer live."

He got up and staggered out of the bar,

"I'm gonna be a hero. Just you wait!"

**Present… **

Lance landed and ran inside one of the main buildings on base. Upon entering, he noticed bodies strewn about the halls, soldiers' blood covering the walls like painted murals of macabre and horror. Although he was long-lived and saw his fair share of bloody sieges, this was something that even surprised him.

Eventually, he came across the door Hecate had gone through earlier. The red-eyed hero blasted it with his telekinesis, sending the door flying into a wall. He looked around, hearing the sound of more gunfire, and someone pleading for his life. Locking onto the location through his telepathy, Diablos teleported to it.

Hecate smiled sadistically as she pointed the gun to the scientist's throat. She was about to pull the trigger when she clutched her head. The red-eyed pistol user screamed in agony and snarled,

"DIABLOS!"  
The demonic inspired hero smirked,

"You called?"

He told the scientist,

"Take cover."

The scientist nodded and ducked behind a secure door.

Hecate regained composure of herself and glared,

"You used our link to attack me, didn't you?"

Lance shook his head,

"This is insane, Hecate. What the hell are you trying to accomplish here?"

The villainess smiled,

"Come now, Diablos. Don't you get it yet? They have something that can kill their god here. I'm taking it and smiting him with it."

She lashed out with her telekinesis, launching several crates at the former Titans East member. Diablos used his telekinesis and dissappated the objects. He lashed out with red lightning, but Hecate took the blast, unfazed by the attack. She cackled,

"Come now, dear brother. Did you honestly think that pathetic sparkler trick is going to work on me? Our powers can't be made to hurt each other. It's a stalemate."

She telekinetically grabbed one of the rifles from the fallen troops,

"Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do."

She teleported away, laughing maniacally as she did.

Diablos grabbed the scientist and said,

"What did she mean, she could a kill a god? What were you doing here?"

The scientist was tight-lipped,

"I cannot tell you. It's treason. I don't care if you kill me, I won't talk."

Lance grumbled,

"Fine, if you won't tell me…"

His eyes began to flash red,

"…Then, I'll yank it out of your skull!"  
The scientist screamed in pain as he clutched his head and began having a seizure on the floor. For the next few seconds, the military scientist was going through more pain than he dare comprehend in a life time. Lance finally threw him against the wall, leaving him nothing more than a sputtering mass of vegetable matter. The scientist was alive, but most of his knowledge was now inside Diablos. The red-eyed hero gasped at what he felt,

"Mother of God."

He phased through the floor, trying to get to the bunker below.

However, he was too late. As Diablos entered the room from the ceiling, he floated down what appeared to be a missile silo hidden on the base. As he landed, the saw the silo was empty. Everyone was dead; Hecate had gotten to them all. Lance looked around, and eventually made his way to the control room. The halls of this metallic silo were covered in the same horrendous carnage as the upstairs of the base. As he entered the control room, he saw the plans for the missile, as well as a couple of other things that sparked his interest.

The missile itself was converted to be a nuclear warhead, but what surprised Diablos was the contents of the nuclear warhead itself.

It was weaponized Kryptonite, and the target can only belong to one person…

Next Chapter:

As Hecate plans continue to unfold, Diablos is at odds with his own past as another memory continues to trickle. Find out more, next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Demons Amongst Us **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Hecate, and Bast. _

Chapter 3: A Plan in Motion 

Clark Kent, the hero Superman, Bruce Wayne, the Caped Crusader Batman, Bast, goddess of felines, and Carol Danvers, the blonde heroine Miss Marvel, arrived in the base in North Africa. Carol looked on in shock,

"I don't believe it."

Bast sniffed the air and snarled,

"Hecate was here."

She drew her scimitar,

"Her stench is all over the place."

Superman never had seen any sort of devastation like this, other than the time Darkseid came to Earth and nearly turned it into a new Apokolips. (1)

Diablos emerged from the control bunker. He groaned in his head,

_This day just gets better and better. _

Batman said,

"What happened?"  
Lance shrugged,

"Hecate happened, that's what."

He shook his head,

"What are you doing here?"  
Superman said,

"We got your letter of resignation and-."

Lance pointed a finger at the Man of Steel,

"Stay out of this, Supes. Hecate is my problem, and I don't want the League involved in my mess. It's why I resigned. I have the freedom and the method to do what I need to do."

Batman said plainly,

"You plan to kill her."

Lance sighed,

"It's the only way. I'm insulating you from my actions, giving you plausible denial. If anyone asks, I acted out alone, without League authorization."

The red-eyed hero adjusted his glasses,

"You didn't hear this from me, but this base was doing something here."

The Dark Knight asked,

"What were they doing?"

Lance answered,

"They were making a nuclear bomb, using weaponized Kryptonite."

At this, all of the other heroes gasped. The Last Son of Krypton swallowed,

"Kryptonite?"

Carol shook her head,

"Where would they get Kryptonite?"

Lance shook his head,

"I don't know. What I do know is this; Hecate has it, and she is going to use it. No doubt you know what the target is."

Superman swallowed,

"Metropolis."

Batman radioed in,

"We have a situation; a nuclear bomb containing weaponized Kryptonite will detonate somewhere in Metropolis. Find it fast!"  
Diablos looked back at the base. He then had another flash back…

**Washington DC, 1976… **

Lance was a Naval lieutenant. His red eyes had changed to a deep green and his hair was cut to be more military style. The demonic hero was knocked out and tied to a chair. He moaned as he woke up and noticed about six men and women all standing around him. Diablos had received reports on potential civil unrest and some political protesters storming a military base or ammo dump.

One, who appeared to be the leader, sneered,

"Enjoy your nap, war pig?"

Diablos looked up at him, not saying a word. Through the thousands of years he had been alive; the red-eyed hero had seen and experienced pretty much every form of torture imaginable. These six did not know what they were getting themselves into.

The leader continued,

"Not talkative? That's fine with me, war pig."

Lance shook his head,

"What's this about?"

The leader slammed the butt of his gun against the demonic hero's face, screaming,

"We ask the questions! Now, where are those biological weapons you're keeping?"

Lance hissed in pain and shook his head,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The leader slammed him again. One of the women shuddered,

"He says he doesn't know anything."

Another subordinate said,

"And you believe him? This war pig knows about biological weapons, and where they're manufactured."

The leader grinned evilly,

"That's right, and you're gonna tell us, so we can destroy them."

Lance shook his head, trying to regain focus,

"Have you ever stopped to think that, by going after these biological weapons, you could be endangering innocent people's lives, or even yourselves?"

The leader snarled back,

"You should talk, pig. How come you need to develop these weapons?"

Lance groaned in his head; they actually think he had a personal hand in developing experimental biological weapons. He tried to explain,

"I've been here only a month. I don't know anything about biologicals."

The leader shouted,

"You're lying! All you war pigs are liars!"

Another member said,

"We should just shoot him and find it ourselves."

Diablos shook his head,

"You don't want to do that. If you kill me, you will regret it."

The leader pointed his gun, arrogantly remarking,

"Die, war pig."

He pulled the trigger.

At that moment, Diablos had no choice. His eyes glowed red as he used his powers and caused a misfire in the gun. The gun exploded in the leader's hand. He shouted in agony, and that was when Diablos disintegrated the chair and levitated off the ground. He said in a dark voice,

"Told you you'd regret it."

He drained the other five of their life energy, turning them into dust.

The leader of the little rebellion had his eyes shoot open in horror. He backed away, panicking, until he hit the wall. He whimpered,

"What are you?"

Lance walked over to him and grinned maliciously,

"Your worst nightmare, human."

He blasted the coward with telekinetic force, disrupting his molecular bond. The leader was nonexistent.

Diablos adjusted his uniform and walked out of the room. As far as he was concerned, nothing had ever happened.

**End Flashback… **

Diablos looked at the other heroes and said,

"I'll meet you in Metropolis. I have to get something."

With that, he teleported away. Miss Marvel looked at Bast,

"Is he always like this?"

The goddess of felines shook his head,

"Normally, he is much kinder. However, bring up his sister, and he becomes this entirely other person."

She thought,

_I hope Farrah knows what she is doing, trusting him. _

Next Chapter:

Time is running out for the League and for Hecate. What will happen in Metropolis? Stay tuned for the next chapter!

(1) Read Justice League Persiana for details.


	4. Chapter 4

**Demons Amongst Us **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Bast, Hecate and Lance/Diablos. _

Chapter 4: Time's Up! 

**Swiss Alps, exact location unknown… **

Diablos teleported inside what appeared to be a hallway in a vacant chalet. The chalet itself was massive, having been built on the ruins of an ancient castle. The red-eyed hero created a light cloud and, using it as a torch, began to maneuver through the vast maze of stone halls. Each step that he took, his footsteps would softly echo. He did not know why, but he felt he was being guided to where he had to go. However, he was on his guard nonetheless; he knew his sister well, and Hecate was not one to be taken lightly, or surprised easily.

He continued his trek through the maze; the occasional rat would scurry in the darkness, squeaking behind. Lance was a bit uneasy, since he was not detecting anything with his telepathy. Plus, he had never become accustomed to the sight of rats…

**Flashback, Washington D.C., two days after the break-in, 1976… **

Lance, a lieutenant in the Marine Corps, was stationed in Washington. Two days earlier, a group of self-proclaimed 'government liberators' had knocked him unconscious and tied him up. Needless to say, the six did not survive and were disintegrated. Since there was never any body, nor any signs of a break-in after Lance had repaired the damage, the red-eyed hero felt it was unnecessary to report anything that happened.

His commanding officer, Captain Wade Eiling, was sitting at his desk. The Captain had very dark hair, but clean cut and ideal military bearing. He had called Lance into his office.

Lance walked in and saluted,

"Captain, sir!"

Wade gave a relaxed salute,

"At ease, Lieutenant. Take a seat."

Diablos immediately obliged and sat down. Wade opened a folder and said,

"Lieutenant, are you aware of any incident involving attempted burglary here?"

Lance answered,

"Sir, no, sir."

Wade waved off,

"You can speak freely, soldier. I just want to get the facts straight before I file this report."

Lance nodded,

"Very well. I do not know of any sort of break-in or burglary attempt."

Wade nodded,

"That's interesting; because a witness says they saw six people scale over a fence and run into one of the buildings. In fact, it was a building you were in, wasn't it?"

Lance looked at his commanding officer,

"Have they located these six individuals?"

The captain shook his head,

"No, they haven't. I had the base swept top to bottom twice already. If they are here, they're doing a great job hiding."

He picked up a folder,

"As I understand it, you are the Air Force liaison to the Marines, correct?"

Lance nodded. Wade continued,

"Are you aware of Project Atom, Lance?"  
The Marine lieutenant shook his head,

"I do know it's classified, but beyond that, no."

Wade explained,

"Well, I'm about to read you into it; it's a special project that will create the next generation of soldier. By bombarding someone with intense radiation, we are hoping to endow them with the powers of a nuclear reactor and allow them to go into radioactive hotspots should our enemies use nuclear weapons on us."

Lance nodded,

"I see."

Wade narrowed his eyes,

"You do not seem to approve."

The Marine explained,

"It is not that at all. I believe that any nation should build any sort of weapon, as long as it is used properly and in defense of that nation, not to be the perpetrator in an intercontinental war."

Wade thought for a moment before responding,

"Very colloquially expressed. Then you do not seem to mind testing on human beings."

Lance shook his head,

"As long as they know what is going to happen to them should they undergo this procedure, and if they are a willing participant, then, yes, I do agree on human testing."

The Captain nodded,

"Splendid. Now, we have to candidates; Captain Nathaniel Adam, and Major Clifford Zmeck."

Lance immediately stiffened,

"Clifford Zmeck?"

Wade asked,

"Is that a problem?"

The lieutenant shook his head,

"Captain Adam, while a criminal, was an exemplary officer. I can understand why he would be willing to do this, but Major Zmeck? Captain, I respectfully ask that the major be taken out of this project immediately."

Captain Eiling looked surprised,

"These men are both criminals, I admit. It's not like these two have not done anything less to deserve this. You can't expect us to go with soldiers that are innocent, can't you?"

Lance paused before responding,

"Major Zmeck is unstable, to say the least. He has no respect for the authority that put him in jail, and he has total disrespect for women in general. The man is a danger to us all, and, say this experiment should work. Can you imagine the destruction that this man could cause if he lived through it? Captain, with all due respect, I must protest against Major Zmeck being part of this program."

Captain Eiling nodded,

"I understand, Lance. I will take it under advisement."

**End Flashback… **

Lance sighed, thinking,

_He never did. I told them how dangerous he was. _

Hecate's voice echoed in his head,

_Humans seldom listen to anything, except their own ego. _

Diablos stopped in his tracks. Hecate laughed, continuing,

_Come know. You've forgotten our link so quickly. For shame, Diablos; for shame. _

Lance noticed a light at the end of the dark hallway. Charging a lightning sphere, he held it in his hand and bolted.

As soon as he entered, however, he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw.

The room itself was a large, expansive study, complete with fire place. Book shelves lined the outer walls, filled with lost classics of old. A desk lay on the opposite wall of the fire place, and, in front of the fire place were two chairs, a table in between them, and a large bear-skin rug in front. Hecate was curled up in one of the lavish chairs, her two pistols off to the table. Her eyes glowed red as she smiled evilly,

"Diablos, so good of you to come."

She noticed the attack in his hand and shook her head,

"Tsk, tsk, Diablos. You know that won't hurt me. Why don't I get rid of it before you hurt someone?"  
She waved her hand and, immediately, the lightning attack disappeared. Lance growled,

"Whatever you're planning, stop it, now."  
Hecate rolled her eyes,

"Are you seriously going to keep on this, Lance? It's getting tiresome."

She pulled out a remote,

"Why don't we watch your so-called friends and see if they figured out where the bomb is."

She pressed the button and a large flat screen TV lowered itself from the ceiling. The screen stopped in front of the fire place and immediately tuned into the scene in Metropolis.

In Metropolis, Batman, Superman, Miss Marvel, and Bast were madly rushing to find the bomb. Lois Lane eventually contacted Superman about a bomb in the Daily Planet building and now, the four heroes were trying to figure out how to disarm it. Batman was working on the problem, while the others were getting as many of the civilians out of the city as quickly and as organized as possible. Bast commanded all the stray cats to locate any one that was unable or had not heard the evacuation order.

Batman was studying the wiring of the nuclear bomb. He did not see a timer, but that did not mean there was not an internal one. The World's Greatest Detective studied the bomb for a minute before radioing in,

"J'onn, it's me. Lock onto my coordinates. There's a nuclear bomb here and we need to send it into deep space."

There was only static on the other end of the line. Hecate looked over to Diablos,

"Good attempt. Really, I have to commend the Bat for such an idea."

She grinned,

"Too bad Bats doesn't know that weaponized Kryptonite does tend to interfere with communications."

Batman, not receiving a signal, began examining the wires again. Since there was no way he could teleport it to a safe distance to detonate, he hoped the others would get Metropolis evacuated in time. Slowly, a pair of wire clippers went to a wire that he thought would disarm the bomb. It was also not helping that he did not know how much time he had, or if he had any to make a decision.

Miss Marvel flew to him,

"Figure it out yet?"  
The Dark Knight shook his head,

"Tell me, how fast can you move?"

Carol shrugged,

"Near light speed. Why?"

Batman said,

"I'll let you know."

The blades sank into a red cable. Although Carol did not see it, Bruce was nervous, and sweating. He had no idea what to do, but he had to act. He held his breath and sliced the wire.

A buzzing sound could be heard, and, a female voice said,

"Congratulations; you have disarmed the nuclear bomb."

Batman and Miss Marvel both sighed in relief.

Just then, J'onn radioed in,

"Batman, come in. What is going on?"  
Batman answered,

"The bomb has been defused. Transport it to the Nevada desert. I'll examine it there."

Hecate snapped her fingers,

"Shucks, and he was so close to blowing himself up. Oh, well…"

She turned,

"I must admit, Diablos, your human friends are very resilient. Too stubborn to die, in fact. I guess that's why they're the dominant species on this planet…for the moment."

Diablos lowered his glasses,

"I guess they are."

He ran in and back-handed his sister into a wall. Hecate went back first into a book case. She yelled in pain and roared,

"YOU BASTARD! I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE MY BROTHER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!" 

Next Chapter:

Diablos vs. Hecate. Need I say more?


	5. Chapter 5

**Demons Amongst Us **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Lance/Diablos, Hecate, and Bast. _

Chapter 5: Abominations of Nature Part 1 

**Germany, January 1945… **

With the Battle of the Bulge past, and the new year starting to be born, Hitler and the Nazis were in a mad rush to maintain their grip on Germany. In desperation, they set up in a castle that was a monastery for Catholic monks for centuries. Now, the place was desecrated with an unholy experiment. With Hecate's help, German scientists were secretly working to create a sort of last gasp; a final, desperate, decisive act that would keep the Allied forces at bay long enough for a counter strike.

Diablos chose not to intervene in the war, seeing as how humans so easily thrived off of the carnage. However, he felt as though the sides should be even when he discovered Hecate was involved. He figured; by removing her, the war would go its natural course.

He slowly immersed into the moat, and swam across it. Having existed during its construction, Lance had put in a special secret access way only he could get through. Using his powers, he opened the door at the bottom of the moat and swam inside.

After a few minutes, he was underneath the castle. He emerged from the pool soaking wet. He used his powers to dry his clothes and slowly made his way up the cavernous stairs. The demonic-inspired hero was careful on what he stepped on, for his gentle steps were slightly echoing throughout the caverns.

He finally reached a stone door and pressed lightly against it. The red-eyed hero could see two guards with their backs to him. Lance closed the wall, phased through the door and telepathically manipulated the guards, telling them to go cause a ruckus somewhere far away from their post. The guards complied and left. Diablos thought to himself,

"I only hope I can get there in time."

**Present day… **

Hecate, now wearing her costume, dodged a flying bookcase thrown by Diablos' telekinetic attack. She telekinetically grabbed a sword and madly dashed at him. Lance pulled out his sword and the two began squaring off in a frantic sword fight.  
Diablos dodged the first strike and attempted to counter. Hecate blocked it and kicked Diablos in the ribs. Lance fell onto one knee and saw his sister going in for a quick kill. At the last minute, Diablos telekinetically pulled the rug out from under Hecate and she fell square on her back. Hecate cursed,

"Lucky strike."

Diablos lifted the desk and slammed it on top of his sister. The impact caused a hole to be open in the floor, through which the injured Hecate and the desk fell through.

Lance caught his breath and peered cautiously into the hole. He then saw the desk come right back up. He barely dodged it, feeling the wind of the thing on his face.

Hecate erupted from the hole, her eyes glowing bright red. She was infuriated to say the least as she shouted,

"Why couldn't you just be a good brother and DIE?"

She lashed out with her telekinetic abilities, sending every book in the room after her brother. Diablos created a force field, which the books were harmlessly knocking against. Angered at this, Hecate lifted a bookcase with astonishing strength and threw it at him. Lance raised his hand and caused the bookcase to be shattered into splinters.

Just then, the books dropped and, dropping the splintered wood, Diablos saw no one else in the room. Hecate had disappeared again.

Lance rolled his eyes,

"This is getting old, Hecate. Just like in Germany."

Hecate's voice echoed throughout the chalet,

"You truly think this will end the same way it did then? No, dear brother; this time; you'll suffer greatly for this. You see, when you sealed me away, it had an…interesting effect on me. Come to the lower level if you want to know more."

Her laughter resounded throughout the chalet again. Diablos got a bad feeling from it, but he had to wonder if it was a ploy, or that he made a terrible mistake all those years ago…

**Flashback, Germany, January 1945… **

Lance, having stolen one of the guard's uniforms, was sneaking his way through the castle. The uniform he stole was an officer's, so he could have easier access to where he had to go to. He calmly walked down each forboding hallway, saluting to the guards that saluted him.

Finally, he reached the door. He and the guards saluted each other and, he was about to enter when, suddenly, there were sounds of gunfire and explosions. The guards stiffened, getting battle ready. Diablos kicked one guard in the head, grabbing his rifle in the process. The second guard tried to react, but was shot in the head.

Diablos kicked in the door and, immediately, gasped at the sight,

"What are you doing?"

**Present day… **

Diablos ran down the hallway, until he saw a flash of light. The light blinded him momentarily. He tried to shield his eyes, but it was too late; he had fallen over the side of a ledge. The red-eyed hero fell over and hit his head on the way down. He fell on his back and moaned in pain. He carefully got up and tried to dust himself off. Even in his delirium, Lance could see something that frightened him to no end.

A large dragon with shimmering black scales emerged from the darkness. It had piercing red eyes and fleshy, bat-like wings. This dragon must have cleared sixty to seventy feet. The dragon let out a loud, ear-splitting roar, then looked down at Diablos, snarling,

"Now, you see the true vision of your sister, dear brother!"

Next Chapter:  
Dragon Hecate vs. Diablos. Plus, more on the mysterious flashbacks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Demons Amongst Us **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Lance/Diablos and Hecate. _

Chapter 6: Abominations of Nature Part 2 

**Germany, 1945… **

Numerous machines surrounded the room, and, what appeared to be a signaling dish was pointed into a chamber containing a large egg. Several scientists were running tests, and Hecate was leering at the egg. She turned and smiled,

"Diablos; so good of you to come."

Diablos had numerous guns pointed at him as soon as he entered. The red-eyed hero turned to his sister,

"You are totally insane, you know that?"

Hecate took the rifle from him and tutted,

"That's rather subjective, don't you think? I mean, you say insane, I say devoted to bringing back our species…"

Lance looked around,

"And siding with a bunch of people that support a genocidal lunatic isn't insane? Lady, you are screwed up."

Hecate laughed,

"Poor, poor Diablos. You simply don't get it."

She walked around the egg,

"Can you believe it? A real dinosaur egg? What our ancestors were before the meteor crash?"

The red-eyed villainess shook her head,

"Oh, that's right. You don't know the whole story, do you? Well, I'll tell you. You see, when the meteorite crashed that supposedly killed the dinosaurs all those millions of years ago, that's what many of the humans thought happened. What they didn't know was that the meteorite had unique properties, and…well, let's just say that some dinosaurs and their eggs evolved to overcome and survive the harsh climate changes. Of course, that meant feeding off of those that dinosaurs that never received the blessings of the meteorite, but beggars can't be choosers. Right?"

She grinned, continuing,

"Over the millennium, the number of our race had dwindled, so much so that our newly evolved race had to mate with what was considered the most advanced species of the time. Of course, that meant mating with…ugh…humans."

Lance nodded,

"And, that's how the legends of dragons terrorizing towns and cities was born."  
Hecate shrieked,

"THEY WERE TRYING TO SURVIVE!"  
Her temper flared as a beaker broke. Diablos raised an eyebrow,

"Struck a nerve, did I? You forget, those legends were made after you and I were born."

Hecate clenched her fists, but grew calmer and composed herself. She said,

"True, but you forget one thing; there were ten eggs left. Many of them did not even hatch yet. By the time I found them, there were gone."  
She came closer,

"Diablos, there are eight more of our kind out there. Eight. Do you realize what this means? We can find them and help them. Help them reclaim this planet as our own."

Diablos looked at the dragon's egg and shook his head,

"Even if you manage to create a new dragon, what makes you think that he or she will listen to you?"  
Hecate walked back to the egg,

"The dragon wyrmling will. I know best."

The red-eyed hero smirked,

"Then, you should know that you shouldn't arm your soldiers with grenades in a lab."

Several pins hit the floor at that moment and Diablos teleported out of harm's way. The resulting explosions destroyed the mainframes and scientific equipment in the lab. Hecate shrieked,

"YOU FOOL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

**Present day… **

Hecate, now a black shimmering dragon, whipped her tail at Diablos, shouting in a beastly voice,

"YOU RUINED EVERYTHING I HAD PLANNED!"  
Lance was thrown into several cave stalactites and collapsed on the cave floor. Several stalactites fell, attempting to perforate him. At the last second, Diablos rolled out of the way and, using his telekinesis, threw them at his sister. Hecate saw it coming and blasted them with her telekinetic breath. Lance groaned,

"I didn't expect that to work."

He stood up, but ducked down as Hecate took to the air and tried to swoop down on top of him. Lance rolled again and launched his lightning attack, hitting one of Hecate's wings. The dragon growled and perched itself on top of one of the stalactites. She hissed,

"You're pathetic, you know that?"

Lance shrugged,

"Comes with the territory of being a hero, right?"

His eyes glowed again, this time dropping a portion of the cave wall on top of Hecate. The dragon dropped to the ground, its head getting hit with one of the fallen stalactites.

Diablos stood up uneasily and rubbed the back of his neck. There was a moment where he thought he won. He thought his sister was dead.

He thought wrong.

Hecate stood up, violently shaking her dragon body. She roared,

"NOW, I SHOW YOU MY TRUE POWER!"  
She took a deep breath in and exhaled, blowing her telekinetic breath as hard as she could against Diablos. The red-eyed hero countered with his own telekinesis, and, when the two forces collided with each other, both Diablos and dragon Hecate were sent flying into opposite ends of the cavern wall. For Diablos, he got forced through the wall and the mountain itself, into the freezing cold. He landed back first into the side of another mountain. He moaned as he tried to get up and float back, but Hecate slithered her dragon body through the gaping hole and erupted out of her chalet. She shrieked,

"YOU'RE FINISHED, DEAR BROTHER!"

She got ready to launch another telekinetic breath attack. Her head leaned back and was about to unload a massive wave of force when, suddenly, a lasso ensnared the dragon's mouth.

Diablos blinked,

"Wonder Woman?"  
The Amazon warrior had a seething, burning hatred in her eyes as she roared,

"MONSTER, TODAY I AVENGE MY FRIEND!" 

Next Chapter:  
Wonder Woman is not alone as several more League members join the battle against Hecate!


	7. Chapter 7

**Demons Amongst Us **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Lance/Diablos and Hecate. _

Chapter 7: Abominations of Nature Part 3 

"He's down here!"

Diablos looked up and saw Miss Marvel hovering near him. The blonde heroine shook her head,

"You've seen better days."

The red-eyed hero focused for a moment before hovering out of the crater that was made with his body. He shook his head,

"What happened?"

"You tell us."

Superman hovered near him as well. From the look on his face, the Man of Steel was not happy. Lance sighed,

"How did you find me?"

Clark answered,

"It's hard to miss a seventy foot tall dragon in the Swiss Alps."  
Carol continued,

"Especially one that's tossing you around. Did your sister release that thing or what?"

Diablos shook his head,

"That thing IS my sister."

Wonder Woman delivered a powerful blow to Hecate's back. The dragon then hissed and swatted the Amazing Amazon with her tail.

Superman blinked,

"Wait, that dragon is your sister?"  
Diablos pressed his lips together, responding,

"I'll explain later. Right now, we have to stop her."

Diana went sailing into one of the crevasses, but circled back up and landed a powerful uppercut to the dragon's jaw. Hecate was momentarily caught off guard, and it was enough for Superman and Miss Marvel to slam more powerful blows into the stomach and wings of Hecate. Diablos took his sword charged in. Hecate looked up, pleading,

"Diablos, please!"

Not listening to the pleas of his own sister, the red-eyed hero sliced through one of the dragon's wings, sending it into icy oblivion. Hecate shrieked in agony and crawled back into the hole she made when she escaped. Wonder Woman pursued the dragon back into the hole.

Miss Marvel, Superman, and Diablos chased after Wonder Woman and Hecate. Once inside, the four heroes looked around, trying to find out where Hecate had slithered off to. Superman used his super hearing and said,

"She's close by, but I-."

He looked up and saw the dragon drop on top of him. The Last Son of Krypton bolted out of the way at the last second, but Hecate's tail hit him in the back, sending him flying into the cave wall. Miss Marvel and Wonder Woman both tag-teamed the beast, slamming it with a clothesline. Diablos powered up, channeling his lightning through his sword. He then unleashed it as a lightning beam, slamming his sister with its full force. The dragon screamed in agony and fell down, reverting back to her human form. Wonder Woman picked up a now nude, broken Hecate and got ready to throw a punch,

"This is for all the lives you've ruined and destroyed."

Hecate's eyes softened, pleading,

"Please, have mercy on me. Please."

Diana angrily glared right back,

"What makes you think I want to?"

Lance narrowed his eyes,

"Diana, Hecate's manipulating your emotions. Don't listen to her."  
Wonder Woman's grip tightened. She truly wanted to avenge Audrey, avenge her friend and her country from this murderess. Hecate's face had paled and now, was staring at Wonder Woman.

The Amazon snarled and threw the disheveled Hecate to the side,

"No, I won't end your life like this. You're going to be held accountable for what you've done."

Hecate sniveled and shrugged,

"Oh, and I was so close to getting what I want."

She cackled as her hand guns materialized in her hand and took aim.

In the next few moments, time seemed to slow down as Miss Marvel used her super speed and slammed a powerful fist into Hecate's face. Caught off guard, Hecate flinched, causing the guns to miss Diana. Then, in almost the same motion, Carol landed a powerful chop to Hecate's throat. The red-eyed villainess stumbled back, losing her hand guns. The floor collapsed and she was teetering on the edge. She looked up, barely holding on as Diablos towered over her. Hecate shouted,

"You wouldn't let your own flesh and blood fall like this, would you?"  
Lance looked down at her and said,

"I'm not going to kill you, dear sister. But, I'm not going to save you either."

Just as he finished saying those words, the ledge Hecate was holding onto collapsed and she plummeted in the darkness. She shrieked, her screams echoing throughout the chasm. She swore out,

"WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS, YOU AND YOUR HUMAN FRIENDS ARE GOING TO FRY!"  
Lance shook his head,

"Doubt it, bitch."

He turned and looked at the League members. He waved his hand and a pair of new sunglasses materialized in front of him in the air. The red-eyed hero put them on and said,

"I think you want an explanation as to what Hecate and I are. Well, I'll tell you everything I know."

Next Chapter:  
Diablos explains all that he can about himself and who he and his sister are, and a decision is made in regards to his future in the League. Find out next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Demons Amongst Us **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, Bast, and Hecate. _

Chapter 8: Search for Answers 

Diablos was aboard the Watchtower, in the conference room of the Big Seven. The red-eyed hero explained,

"By now, you probably have figured out who and what I am. Let me be the first to assure everyone here; I am nothing like my sister Hecate."

Batman glared back,

"That is not much of an assurance, since you have been covering up all of this from the start."

Lance shook his head,

"It's not like that. I don't see the reason to simply flaunt my powers to show how powerful and god-like I am. That would only make me weak and immature."

He sighed,

"As it stands, I'm the product of millions of years of evolution on this planet from a primitive life form. Throughout all of human history, humans have thought of dragons as spiteful, powerful creatures, but never thought them to be anything more than a fairy tale. I can assure you, dragons are very real, and are very much a part of this planet as the humans are."

Superman looked at him,

"You resigned from the League, saying it was the only way to stop Hecate for good."

Lance nodded,

"Killing her seemed to be the only plan I could come up with. By resigning, you could be isolated from my actions."

Flash blinked,

"You were willing to do that? Go that far?"

Lance looked at them,

"You tell me; you know how powerful and unnervingly arrogant dragons are. Would you not slay if it came right down to it?"  
Silence filled the room. The demonic inspired hero nodded,

"I thought so."

Wonder Woman shook her head,

"Lance, you let your sister fall off the side of a ledge."

Lance shook his head,

"She's still alive. Even with a fall that great, she'll survive. However, she has been rendered wingless, and, for the time, it will be quite a long time before we hear from her again. Unlike myself, which needs energy to recharge, Hecate needs sleep. The fall will more than likely render her unconscious, thus; making her sleep."

John asked,

"How long do you think she'll be knocked out?"  
Lance thought for a moment before answering,

"Three, four hundred years."

Everyone blinked. Lance looked back, smiling,

"Hey, she and I are immortal. What can I say?"

Superman asked,

"If Hecate could turn into a dragon and back, why haven't you? Surely you can."

Lance sighed; he knew this would be brought up eventually,

"I'm not exactly sure why. But, I intend to find out."

He looked around,

"I can't be a part of this team just yet. They're some things I have to look into, and only I can look into them. As of right now, my resignation still stands. Maybe, I'll come back sometime and get back to handling things. Right now, I need to walk alone."

He walked away; he still had some good-byes to give out. As the doors hissed behind him, Batman said,

"I don't like it."

Hawkgirl shrugged,

"You can't fault him for it. He is trying to do what's right."

Wonder Woman blinked,

"But, did he have to go that far, to resign from the team, to do it?"

Martian Manhunter nodded,

"He seems to think so. However…"

Flash looked,

"What is it?"

The Martian said,

"While I could not directly sense his mind, Diablos is in great pain about something. I am unsure as to what it is, however."

**At the Titans East Mansion… **

It did not take long for Diablos to teleport down to Earth and the Mansion. News of his departure had no doubt reached his teammates. Some were taking it well. As for others…

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE!"

Persiana, latching on to one of her boyfriend's legs, screamed as tears swept down her eyes. The white-haired lioness continued sobbing,

"IT'S NOT FAIR! YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE!"  
Superboy smirked,

"She's taking it well."

Wonder Girl swatted the Kryptonian clone in the back of his head,

"Farrah is very upset right now, and we all are a little saddened by this. However, I am sure Diablos has a good reason for doing this."

Lance looked down,

"Farrah, please."

He knelt down to her as best he could and cupped her face in his hands. Farrah opened her eyes, but they were watering. She shook her head,

"Please, don't go. I love you."

Lance sighed,

"Farrah, I love you. I will always love you. But, right now, I have to deal with this. I'm not going to be with anyone else while I do this, I promise."

The feline acrobat's lips trembled, but she nodded,

"All right, darling. I'm going to hold you to that promise."

She stood up, unhitching her arms and legs, and stood at her full height. She wrapped her arms around him, and lovingly nuzzled his shoulder. After sniffing his scent again, she slinked on all fours and went to her room.

Wonder Girl looked at the demonic-inspired hero,

"Is this truly necessary?"

Lance nodded,

"If you knew what I really was, then yes, it is."

He said,

"You'll make a fine leader, Donna. I know it. And, as a personal favor, I've called someone that can help."

Lance picked up a duffel bag and, lowering his glasses,

"I'm off. Take care of everything here, Wonder Girl."

The younger Amazon smiled,

"Do not worry, Diablos. This team will be in good hands."

A loud explosion was heard from the kitchen, and Red Star ran out,

"KILL IT! KILL IT!"

The sounds of an inhuman monster could be heard. M'gan shouted,

"MY TELEPATHY DOES NOTHING!"  
Lance blinked,

"Uh, maybe I should stay until the thing is defeated."  
Superboy nodded,

"Good idea."

**Later, at a roadside dinner in Arizona… **

Diablos, wearing jeans and a T-shirt with an imprint of a lion on it, was sitting at the counter. He was in the middle of his meal when he began reflecting back on what was happening to him.

Was his sister right? Were there other dragons, other siblings he had that he did not know about? Would they be like him, or like Hecate? Questions filled the demonic hero's mind as he continued eating.

The diner itself is a typical roadside spot, the only oasis in the desert for hundreds of miles. He looked around and noticed he was the only one it. Of course, it was approaching dusk, and he wanted to get a move on.

While he could have teleported, he had no way of knowing where to go. He might as well start traveling and see what he could find.

The waitress came by, a middle-aged blonde woman. She said with a smile,

"More coffee?"

Lance declined,

"Thank you but no. I have to be on my way."

He paid the bill and was about to leave when she said,

"There's a hotel about thirty miles west of here. Real good one, too."

Lance smiled,

"Thanks."

As he got in his car and drove, Lance wondered about how his friend on Titans East was doing, putting up with all the insanity. He chuckled to himself,

"Something tells me he'll do fine."

Just as he rounded a bend, however, the car exploded, sending shrapnel all over the road. The explosion tossed Diablos on top of a rock, where he lay in a semi-conscience state. He blearily looked up to see a shadow over him and then, blacked out.

End of Demons Amongst Us

To see what happens to Diablos, read Strength of the Mind for the continuation of this story.


End file.
